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Friday, August 10, 2012

As that first ray of light tentatively broke through the
clouds and then, with much more certainty and resolution, hit the pavement, it
was as if you could hear a crowd cheering.
Had we been living in a gloomy gray world for so long? Had it been that long that we hadn’t seen the
sun? Had it been that long since all we
could hear was the incessant, merciless machine gun patter of the rain?

No, it was only days.
Only a few days really…but enough rain to swell our rivers and dams to
overflowing, flood our roads and highways, and wash away anything in its path.

My family and I are fine.
We live in an apartment building in the city, on a street that doesn’t
usually flood. The only things we really
had to worry about were business meetings moved and cancelled. As I looked out my rain-splattered window at
the murky sky, I said a prayer of thanks for all the good things that we take
for granted in the hustle and bustle of regular life: a roof over our heads,
unlimited hot showers, food in our pantry, drinking water that we buy directly
from our building, a soft bed to lay on after a long day.

This massive rainfall has left many
without food and shelter. Even as the
sun shines now, many areas are still flooded and many people are still in dire
need of our help. So instead of the
usual links, I thought I’d share some ways to help instead.

** My father’s alma matter, De La Salle, has also organized
relief operations that need volunteers, as well as donations in cash or kind. You can contact these numbers for more
details: +639399369207 or +639158591594.

** Ateneo de Manila University also has relief operations
ongoing, if they are closer to you. You
can contact their Ateneo DReaM (Disaster Response and Management) Team at +6326977168
or +6324266001 local 5933.

** If you are a cyclist, musician, artist, or simply want to
donate relief goods or volunteer to pack them you can check out Ride Rock Relief 2 which will be happening this Sunday, August 12. My favorite little general store will be
providing free coffee. The creamed honey
in the recipe below is from them.

Steel Cut Oats with Vanilla Poached Pears and Creamed
Honey

1/2 cup steel cut oats

2 cups water

1 pear, peeled cored and quartered

3/4 cup water

1-2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste

Creamed honey to serve

- Bring the 2 cups of water to a boil in a sauce pan.

- Once it boils add the steel cut oats, give it a stir,
and then cover. Cook, stirring frequently to make sure it doesn’t stick, until
cooked to your liking. Some like it chewier than others. Add more water if it
starts looking too dry. If it looks to
wet, cook, stirring briskly, uncovered.

- While you are bringing your water for the oats to the
boil, start on your pears. Place the 3/4
cup water in a small skillet or pan that will hold all the pears in one layer. Turn on heat and add sugar and vanilla, stir
until sugar dissolves. Once sugar is
completely dissolved, add the pear quarters and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes, checking every
once in a while to turn the quarters over, or until pears are cooked through
(and can be easily pierced with a fork).
Take off the heat and let the pears cool in their poaching liquid.

- When the oats
are cooked divide between two bowls. Top
each serving with two pears quarters, and a mini-dollop of creamed honey
(depending on how sweet you want it).

Oatmeal is my go-to breakfast for rainy days. It is warm, hearty, and comforting…and, lest
we forget, good for you too, health-wise.
I am a firm believer that a steaming bowl of oatmeal can cure many ills. Topped with some gently poached fruit and a
spoonful of pearlescent creamed honey, even better.

Although this recipe can only feed two, the links above
can help you feed (and clothe) many more. Here's hoping
for sunnier days ahead!

As ironic as it sounds, I was actually a LOT happier when the rain was pouring down in sheets. When the weather turned warm again, I ended up with the flu!

Anyways, I think a lot of people were making porridge for breakfast during the heavy rains. (Cinnamon oatmeal with macadamia brittle, anyone?) And porridge was our "weapon" of choice for the relief feeding programs in my community.

I happen to have steel oats and honey right now and you just inspired me with this lovely post. I'm so glad to hear you and your family are doing fine inspite of the floods. Bravo to you all and your generous hearts for helping put together relief goods. God bless! Thanks for the blog visit & your kind comments!